At Akatsuki's stronghold, Pain used the Magic Lantern Body Technique to summon all members for a meeting.
Buzzing...
With flashes of light and shadow, the members appeared one by one at the base, only to discover that Juzo Biwa was missing.
Upon seeing this, Aoki Tsuki immediately realized something, "This guy ultimately chose to fight the Tailed Beast Bomb."
Sure enough, Uchiha Itachi said, " Jūzō is dead."
"What a waste, that guy!" Pain said.
Since joining Akatsuki, Juzo Biwa has worked diligently and conscientiously, demonstrating formidable strength and a habit of planning carefully before acting.
People with such intelligence are rare in the ninja world.
"The opponent is the Jinchūriki the Three-Tails," Itachi explained.
Orochimaru said, "So, that means Itachi was able to fight the Fourth Mizukage and escape unscathed."
"A lot seems to have happened in Kirigakure lately. I heard that members of the Jashin Cult attacked the village. Yue, do you know what happened?"
"It seems like the people of Kirigakure commissioned the Jashin Cult to do it; they were just paid to do it."
"I see. Next, a new member will join us, Kisame Hoshigaki, also from Kirigakure."
"Oh? Is it that Monster of Kirigakure? I heard he specializes in killing his own comrades. He and Kakuzu- senpai could form a team," Aoki Tsuki suggested.
Recently, Pain helped Kakuzu find a teammate, but that guy killed him again.
Kakuzu immediately retorted, "It's his own fault for not dodging and reacting too slowly; he can't blame anyone else."
"Haha... In a few years, I'll introduce you to an unbeatable partner."
"Itachi, how about I team up with you?" Orochimaru said hastily; his longing for Itachi was obvious to everyone.
Scorpion immediately spoke up, "I agree, as partners, we have to work together, right?"
Pain, however, turned to Itachi and said, "Itachi, team up with Kisame. As fellow users of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, you should have something in common."
"Hmm," Itachi replied expressionlessly.
He's only been with Xiao for a short time, yet he's gone from a newbie to a veteran, now mentoring newcomers.
I might be next to die; the people in this organization are heartless and cold-blooded.
On this sunny day, Itachi met his new partner on the beach of a small island.
A creature with shark gills, sharp teeth, and blue skin makes one wonder if it might actually be an evolved shark.
"From today onwards, I am your partner, Kisame Hoshigaki, former Kirigakure Ninja ninja. Nice to meet you."
Surprisingly polite.
" Itachi of the Sharingan, I've long admired your name. I heard you killed your entire clan. I understand your feelings, which is why I chose to team up with you."
"The feeling of killing one's own comrades must be indescribable, Mr. Itachi."
"You talk a lot. Perhaps you think you know me well, but what about yourself?"
Itachi countered with a question.
"Wandering aimlessly in the fog, he's nothing more than a small-time hoodlum who doesn't even know where to go."
Upon hearing this, Kisame angrily pulled out Samehada and said, "Did you know that some sharks are ovoviviparous? The young sharks hatch in the mother's womb and then kill and eat each other?"
Everyone else is food except myself. As my partner from now on, please be careful around me.
"Same to you."
"I hope we can get along well and not become each other's final rivals."
"Hmph, those who harm their comrades never meet a good end. Be prepared," Itachi warned.
Kisame chuckled and replied, "Hehe... well, then we're both beyond redemption."
"No, we are human beings, not sharks. No matter who we are, we can only see ourselves clearly at the very last moment, when we are on the verge of death."
This may be the meaning of death.
"Perhaps."
Northern Base.
" Lord Orochimaru, the data for the sample you obtained is complete." Kabuto handed the report to Orochimaru.
"Hmph, that's quite surprising."
Data shows that this thing looks like a human but has no internal organs, meaning it doesn't need to eat or excrete, and it possesses multiple genes, including those of humans.
"This thing seems to contain another mysterious substance besides Hashirama's cells, which possesses an even stronger devouring property."
"Let's try combining it with the Cursed Seal. By the way, how's Kimimaro doing?"
"His Shikotsumyaku have great potential; he can control bone growth at will, making them harder than steel."
Furthermore, Jūgo seems to trust him a lot, and his emotions become very stable when he's around him.
"That's good. The construction of Otogakure must be almost complete."
"Yes, everything is running smoothly now. Are you planning to leave Akatsuki?" Kabuto asked.
"I've figured out Xiao's ultimate goal, so staying inside is pointless. But before that, there's one more thing to do."
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, "Itachi!"
Pain never concealed Akatsuki's ultimate goal: true peace in the Shinobi World.
Others didn't take it seriously, and even laughed it off, because Xiao was currently just taking on all sorts of tasks to earn commissions by any means necessary.
However, Orochimaru had already made a judgment based on various signs.
Overthrowing the Five Great Nations and establishing a new order requires immense power; the Rinnegan alone is clearly insufficient. The ultimate target is the ' Tailed Beast,' the ultimate power of each village.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and asked in surprise, " Lord Orochimaru, your technique was successful?"
"Yes, although there are still some minor flaws, they don't affect its use anymore. I need an excellent container."
"Once we make a move, we'll face pursuit from Akatsuki. They won't hold back like Konoha did," Kabuto said worriedly.
"Hehe... there's no need to worry about that. In a place like Akatsuki, which is made up of rogue ninja, everyone has their own interests, and no one will really risk their life to hunt me down."
So you can rest assured.
"I see. Then I have no more concerns."
Meanwhile, Zabuza, having left the Land of Water with Haku, wandered to the neighboring Land of Waves.
The Land of Waves is a small island nation sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. It doesn't have any decent ninja forces, Zabuza naturally had no rivals there.
He quickly made a name for himself and recruited several rogue ninjas as his subordinates to help him expand his market.
On this day, Zabuza was teaching White Taijutsu combat and related basic Ninjutsu in a makeshift training ground.
He soon discovered that Bai was very talented in throwing hidden weapons, especially in the use of Senbon throwing tools), and he mastered it very quickly.
"From now on, you can focus your energy on training with the Senbon, and develop a corresponding tactical system based on it. The purpose of ninja combat is to kill the enemy."
Therefore, abandon those flashy but impractical moves and focus on a single, decisive strike.
"Okay, I understand."
Haku knew that in order to gain Zabuza's attention, he had to demonstrate his worth, so he trained extremely hard.
"Who's there?" Zabuza suddenly asked, looking at an ancient tree to the side.
"Truly a master of Silent Killing Technique; I never expected your senses to be so sharp."
It's you!
Zabuza narrowed his eyes. The blue-haired man wearing a mask in front of him was the same partner he had worked with to assassinate the Mizukage last time.
I never expected them to find this place.
Who are you? What brings you here?
"Let me formally introduce myself. I am Yue, the leader of the Jashin Cult. The Fourth Mizukage was commissioned by Fuguki."
"I'm here to recruit you, and also to see some old friends."
Aoki Tsuki pointed to the Severing Sword: Decapitation behind Zabuza and said, "The previous owner of this great sword was my colleague."
"Hmph, I have no interest in so-called Jashin Cult. This sword is mine now," Zabuza replied.
"It's very difficult to survive in the Shinobi World with a child. Good missions will never consider a rogue ninja like you."
The saying goes, "It's good to have a big tree to lean on." In our church, you can hold the title of deacon and receive a generous salary every month.
There are no restrictions on you; you only need to occasionally step in to uphold the reputation of the Jashin Cult.
Aoki Tsuki painstakingly tried to Zabuza into the Jashin Cult.
Zabuza remained unmoved. As an elite who emerged from the Bloody Mist, how could his will be swayed by a few words from others?
"If you're not interested, please leave."
"I still hope you'll consider my proposal. If you change your mind, you can always come to the Land of Hot Water to find me."
After finishing speaking, Aoki Tsuki turned and left.
Not everyone is willing to risk their life for others. Zabuza has his own ambitions, and he might even want to establish influence in the Land of Waves.
However, this guy doesn't seem to know anything about operations, except for killing.
Take Akatsuki as an example: Pain's physical strength, Zetsu's intelligence support, Konan's management, and the core members' efficient mission completion.
These conditions ultimately enabled Akatsuki to make its name known amidst the chaos of the Five Great Nations.
What is Zabuza? He's destined to be a rogue ninja.
"They'll learn their lesson after a few years of hardship from society, then we can recruit them later."
Haku looked at Zabuza and said, "If we encounter danger, Zabuza worry about me. Haku won't be a burden to you."
"Don't say things like that anymore. That day will never come."
Zabuza out and touched the hilt of his Kubikiribōchō, his confidence swelling.
After leaving the Land of Waves, Aoki Tsuki went to the Land of Hot Water, the stronghold of the Jashin Cult, where several of his capable subordinates had already secretly gathered with their men.
These people are all elites who survived the encirclement and killing by the Land of Fire's Anbu.
High Priest Takane, along with a group of high-ranking officials, received Aoki Tsuki.
"I've heard that your Land of Fire has done a lot of big things, resulting in our people being wanted everywhere. Do you know how much trouble this has caused our scientific research?"
"Yes, our Jashin Cult has finally welcomed a divine child, and we are currently at a crucial stage of research. We absolutely cannot provoke the Five Great Nations."
"High Deacon, the Jashin is very displeased with you. Stop now, or you will bring annihilation upon our sect."
Several high-ranking officials took turns condemning the situation.
"What a joke! The religion's belief is war and chaos. I only did these things because I was instructed by the Lord Jashin."
On the contrary, you should sometimes look for the reasons within yourselves. You haven't made any progress after all these years. Think about whether you've even tried?
"My arrival completely changed everything. I found the Divine Child, and I developed the market."
"The Divine Cult is now known throughout the Shinobi World, and that's all thanks to me."
Priest Hino slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "You... you are so arrogant! Do you have no respect for us? Do you have no respect for the High Priest?"